Neste Rally Finland

Info

Event History

Dates back to 1951 when it was launched as a means of deciding the Finnish entries for Rallye Monte-Carlo.

It took on the name 1000 Lakes Rally and was included in the calendar for the WRC in its first year in 1973.

It has been dominated by Finnish drivers who have won 54 of the 66 editions. Top of the roll of honour are Hannu Mikkola and Marcus Grönholm with seven wins.

The 2016 edition was the fastest rally in WRC history. Kris Meeke won at an average speed of 126.62kph.

Challenge

A mix of hard, wide roads with narrower more technical sections.

Flat out from start to finish. It is affectionately known as the Finnish Grand Prix and nine of the 10 fastest WRC rallies have been here.

Pace notes must be perfect. Blind crests often hide corners and it’s vital to position the car correctly before take-off to ensure maximum speed through the bend.

Speeds are so high that time differences are small and there is little opportunity to regain time after a mistake.

One of the hardest rallies for co-drivers as high speeds demand a constant, pinpoint accurate delivery of pace notes.

Mastering the jumps. If the speed is too high, the car’s aerodynamics will force the back down and the front will rise. The tactic is to brake before take-off and accelerate full throttle over the jump.